Patna: The Bihar government has approved sweeping changes to its building regulations, allowing large commercial buildings to be constructed even on relatively small plots of land by significantly reducing setback requirements across the state.
The decision was issued during a departmental review meeting chaired by Vijay Kumar Sinha, who also holds the urban development and housing portfolio. Officials said a formal policy has been drawn up to implement the changes uniformly in all cities.
Under the revised norms, commercial projects will be permitted to use 60 to 70% of the total plot area for construction. Previously, regulations capped built-up space at around 40%, leaving more than half of many commercial plots unused due to mandatory open spaces around buildings.
Sinha said the revised policy would allow landowners and developers to make “maximum possible and optimal use” of land for commercial purposes. He framed the move as part of the state government’s broader push to improve ease of living and economic activity by simplifying urban rules.
“This reform is aimed at better land utilisation and faster urban growth,” an official from the urban development department said, adding that the earlier norms often made commercial projects financially unviable on smaller plots.
The policy is expected to give a boost to real estate, construction and allied sectors. With higher permissible coverage, developers will be able to build larger factories, office complexes, showrooms, shopping centres, hotels and other commercial establishments on the same parcels of land, improving project viability and returns.
Urban planners say the change could also encourage denser commercial hubs in cities, though they stress the need for careful enforcement to ensure safety standards, parking norms and infrastructure capacity keep pace with increased construction.
